Fine Wines & BSE Case Reported

Fine Wines & BSE Case Reported plus Food Forethought. I’m Greg Martin with today’s Northwest Report.

Washington Governor Christine Gregoire has in so many words thrown down the gauntlet to California wine makers. During a press conference on Monday she told attendees she was asked during a trade mission to Europe about California wines and her response was:

GREGOIRE: They make jug wine, we make fine wine.

The comment was well received by those attending. Gregoire’s comment has not been well received by California wine makers and it will be interesting to see what repercussions it will bring.

Yesterday the USDA’s Chief Veterinary Officer John Clifford announced that a case of bovine spongiform encephalopathy or BSE has been found in a California dairy cow.

CLIFFORD: Our laboratory confirmed the findings and also indicated it was an atypical form of BSE which is a rare form of the disease. It is not likely to be attributable to infected feed which is the method in which normally BSE would be spread from cow to cow. This particular animal did not enter the food supply at any time. In addition the safety of our food is addressed through our interlocking safeguards and through the removal of any type of material that contain the BSE agent in the United States, therefore we continually protect public health through the removal of these materials.

Now with today’s Food Forethought, here’s Lacy Gray.

Agriculture education has garnered a lot of attention lately. In numerous town hall style meetings across the country U.S. Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack has discussed the growing importance of agriculture, and with that the need for well trained people. Many of the country’s top educators agree with this and believe that agricultural literacy should be a national priority, and not just for those student who intend on having careers in the ag industry. All students should know about food and fiber production and processing, domestic and international marketing, and policies that affect agriculture worldwide. Teachers are leading an “agricultural revolution” by educating their students about agriculture through such hands-on projects as creating community gardens, greenhouse projects, studying local wildlife habitats and watersheds, and using GPS and remote sensing technologies to plant, cultivate, and harvest crops. It’s good that we are once again placing an importance on agriculture and the fundamental connection with have with it. As George Washington stated, “ I know of no pursuit in which more real and important services can be rendered to any country than by improving its agriculture.”

Thanks Lacy. That’s today’s Northwest Report. I’m Greg Martin on the Ag Information Network.